The following is a report from AboutCampBtoB.
The popularity of caravanning in Europe shows no signs of slowing down after the latest figures released from the European Caravan Federation (ECF) showed that 2024 was another growth year for new leisure vehicle registrations.
A total of more than 221,000 new motorhomes and caravans were registered across Europe in 2024, which is growth of around 5.2% compared to 2023.
Germany currently leads the way with 96,392 new registrations in 2024, representing a 6.7% growth. Second was France with 33,783 new registrations (growth of 7.6%), while the UK experienced 28,011 new registrations (10.4% growth).
Motorhomes driving the growth
The pattern in each individual country and the overall pattern is that motorhome registrations are driving overall growth while caravan registrations are shrinking slightly.
- Overall, in Europe, motorhome registrations were recorded at 160,467, up 9.6% compared to 2023.
- In Germany, motorhome registrations were up 9.1% in 2024 with 74,718. In France, they were up 10.3% to 26,396 and in the UK they were up 36% to 16,567.
- Meanwhile, caravan registrations in Europe stood at 60,865 for 2024, which is around 4.7% down on the previous year.
- Caravan registrations were recorded at 21,674 in Germany (down 1%), 11,400 in the UK (down 13%), and 7,192 in the Netherlands (up 6.1%).
Jost Krüger, secretary general of the ECF, said, “The European caravanning industry has impressively demonstrated its resilience and adaptability in recent years despite challenging market and economic conditions. In 2024, over 220,000 leisure vehicles were registered – a result that impressively demonstrates the stable demand and unbroken appeal of caravanning among European holidaymakers.
“Since 2018, the number of annual new registrations has remained consistently above 200,000, which underlines the remarkable continuity of the European market in the long term. This positive development gives the industry good reason to look ahead to the caravanning year 2025 with confidence.”
Caravan tourism boom results in new cooperation
The resilience of the caravanning industry in Europe is not only seen in new vehicle registration figures but also in overnight stays and revenue earned.
Data from the German Economic Institute for Tourism (dwif) shows that in 2023 a total of 54.5 million overnight stays were registered on campsites and 13.5 million overnight stays were registered on motorhome sites. This is a record level overall. It was also revealed that caravanning holidaymakers generated a record tourism revenue in Germany of around 19.5 billion euros in 2023. The figures for overnight stays in 2024 will be revealed by dwif at Caravan Salon Düsseldorf 2025.
In light of this data, the Association of Deutscher Naturparke e.V. (VDN), the Nationale Naturlandschaften e.V. (NNL) and the Caravaning Industrie Verband e.V. (CIVD) have launched a new partnership with the aim of jointly promoting and steering sustainable and environmentally friendly caravanning tourism in Germany.
CIVD Managing Director Daniel Onggowinarso said: “Germany is becoming an increasingly attractive travel destination for caravanning holidaymakers, especially in areas beyond the classic tourist hubs. For these travelers, the focus is increasingly on experiencing nature and sustainability, both in everyday life and on holiday. Caravanning therefore offers local communities excellent opportunities for tourism development and sustainable regional economic value. With relatively little investment, they can create an attractive infrastructure and attract new guests.”
Jan Wildefeld, managing director of Nationale Naturlandschaften e.V., added: “Our vision is to design caravanning in Germany’s most beautiful nature reserves in such a way that it is in harmony with nature conservation and regional development. Together we are creating a win-win situation: travelers enjoy unique nature experiences with modern infrastructure, while innovative pitch concepts preserve and protect nature. At the same time, we are raising awareness among holidaymakers of the value of our nature and the importance of preserving it. In this way, we combine environmentally conscious tourism with regional economic benefits and a responsible approach to nature.”
